Search Underway for Disturbed Woman Who Leapt from Moving Vehicle

Susan Bachman, seen in this undated photo from findsusanbachman.com, was being driven to a mental institution to be voluntarily committed when she lept from the vehicle and ran into the woods.

findsusanbachman.com

An intense search is underway for an emotionally disturbed Pennsylvania woman who leapt from a fast-moving car and vanished into the woods, family members said today.

Susan Bachman, 37, whose family says she suffers from depression and anxiety, was being driven by her parents to a psychiatric center in Clarion, Pennsylvania, the morning of July 4 to be voluntarily committed when she unlocked the car door and jumped out of the moving vehicle.

The car was estimated to be traveling at 50 mph when Bachman made the jump as the vehicle moved west along Maplevale Road in Brookville, near I-80. She was able to roll when she hit the ground and fled into nearby woods. There have been no reports of Bachman's whereabouts since.

Bachman’s parents called police immediately after their daughter jumped from the car, and the Pennsylvania state police search and rescue team scoured the area with a helicopter and search dogs for several hours. They located her cellphone and wallet which contained her driver’s license and in an abandoned barn, Susan’s brother William told ABC News today.

“We are obviously incredibly concerned about my sister, we miss her and we are incredibly concerned about her and we are deeply hopeful that she has found shelter somewhere,” Will Bachman said. “My sister may be using an assumed name, she may be making up a story about her identity, she is potentially a risk to herself.”

Bachman believes it possible his sister may have gotten a ride in a car along the highway near the barn where her belongings were discovered. The family is concerned she may have suffered internal injuries when she exited the car.

Bachman’s parents have created a website “findsusanbachman.com” with updates on the search and a link to a missing persons poster for their daughter. The Bachman family is encouraging visitors to the site to download the flyer and post it at gas stations throughout the state of Pennsylvania.

“We really want our daughter back,” Bachman’s mother Nancy said in a video statement. “If you know where she is and you have contact with her please tell her that we love her and want her back very much,” Bachman’s father William added.

Anyone with information on Susan Bachman’s whereabouts is urged to email FindSusanBachman@gmail.com or call the Pennsylvania state police at 814-371-4652.